Next GameSecond-seeded Creighton (24-6, 14-4 BIG EAST) heads to the BIG EAST Tournament presented by New York Life for the first time for what it hopes will be three games in three days. The Bluejays will open on Thursday night at 6:02 pm Central versus the winner of Wednesday night’s opening round game between DePaul and Georgetown. With a win, Creighton would play at 8:32 pm Central on Friday against the winner of Thursday night’s quarterfinal game between Xavier and Marquette. The title game of the BIG EAST Tournament will be on Saturday at 7:32 pm Central. Madison Square Garden (19,979) will host the action in New York City, N.Y.

Radio Broadcast InformationKOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men’s basketball games during the 2013-14 season. John Bishop and Nick Bahe will call the action. The broadcast is also webcast live at 1620thezone.com. The pregame show “Bluejay Shootaround”, hosted by Josh Peterson and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler, will not be heard on Thursday. Following the game, Tim Krueger and Heath Gunderson will host “Overtime” for approximately one hour, while also taking calls. All BIG EAST Tournament games will also air on Sirius channel 93 and XM channel 191.

Broadcast InformationThursday’s game will be televised by FOX Sports 1 and announced by Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery. Erin Andrews will serve as sideline reporter.

Live Stats InformationAll of Creighton’s games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the top of the page for a link the exact URL.

Scouting CreightonCreighton owns a 24-6 record, including double-digit wins over top-75 RPI teams in Nebraska, Arizona State, Cal, Xavier, Butler, Providence, Georgetown, Marquette (twice) and Villanova (twice). The Bluejays finished their first BIG EAST campaign with a 14-4 league mark, two games behind league champ Villanova and a full four games ahead of third-place. The Bluejays own wins by 28 and 21 points over first-place Villanova, and victories over preseason league favorite Marquette by 18 and 15, as well. Eight-time BIG EAST Player of the Week Doug McDermott (26.5 ppg., 7.2 rpg., 44.7 3FG%) is the nation’s only returning consensus First Team All-American, as well as the nation’s leading scorer. He’s led the Jays in scoring and rebounding each of the past three seasons, was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, has scored 19 or more points in all but two games this year, and owns 10 games of 30 or more points. He’s also hit three game-winning shots this year.Austin Chatman (7.6 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 4.3 apg.) and Jahenns Manigat (7.1 ppg., 41.1 3FG%) help man the Bluejay backcourt and have combined for 218 assists against just 73 turnovers this year. Grant Gibbs (7.6 ppg., 4.0 apg., 3.3 rpg.) suffered a dislocated kneecap on Jan. 7 at DePaul, but returned to the line-up one month later and has averaged 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in nine games played since then. Creighton’s starting ‘5’ is Ethan Wragge (10.7 ppg., 4.0 rpg.), a 6-foot-7 sharpshooter who has made only two two-point baskets all season while shooting 47.8 percent from three-point range in 201 long-range attempts.

The CoachGreg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in the midst of his fourth season as head coach at Creighton. He led CU to a 28-8 mark last year, and is now 104-36 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 384-222 in his 20th season and is 253-167 in his 13th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Patrick Sellers. McDermott was 12-5 all-time in the MVC Tournament, including the 2004 title while at Northern Iowa and the 2012 and 2013 titles at Creighton. He was 1-1 in the MVC play-in round, 5-2 in the quarterfinals, 3-2 in the semifinals and 3-0 in the championship game. At Iowa State, McDermott went 0-4 in Big 12 Tournament action, with all four losses in the play-in round.

If It’s Georgetown...Creighton split a pair of meetings against Georgetown this season. The Bluejays won 76-63 in Omaha on Jan. 25th before the Hoyas exacted revenge on March 4th in Washington, D.C. Markel Starks (19.0 ppg., 8.0 apg.) and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (18.0 ppg., 9.0 rpg.) led the Hoyas in the two meetings, while Creighton was paced by Doug McDermott (18.0 ppg., 11.0 rpg.) and Austin Chatman (11.5 ppg., 5.5 apg., 4.5 rpg.). Creighton leads the all-time series by a 2-1 margin, including a 1-0 record on neutral floors.

If It’s DePaul...Creighton won both regular-season meetings with DePaul this season, emerging victorious 81-62 in Rosemont on Jan. 4th before completing the season sweep in Omaha on Feb. 7th by a 78-66 count.Doug McDermott led Creighton with 25.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Avery Dingman had two of his best games of the year and averaged 12.0 points in 15.0 minutes per game. Brandon Young averaged a team-best 20.0 points per game for the Blue Demons in two defeats. DePaul leads the all-time series with Creighton 15-9, but CU has won the last four meetings. The teams have split two neutral site match-ups.

Conference Tournament HistoryCreighton is making its initial appearance at the BIG EAST Tournament after a highly-successful run at the MVC Tournament in the previous three decades. Creighton owned a 43-20 all-time record in MVC Tournament play. Creighton’s 12 MVC Tournament titles were seven more than any other school, while its 43 wins and .683 winning percentage in league tourney action were also tops in event history. Creighton was 19-12 in the quarterfinals, 12-7 in the semifinals and 12-1 in the championship games as a Valley member. Creighton won the MVC Tournament nine of the last 13 times it won its first game in the event.

Eight Out Of 15 Tourney TitlesCreighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 15 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (11), Duke (10), Winthrop (9) and Creighton (8). Since March of 2002 Creighton owns six tournament titles (all in the MVC), while the other nine schools in the current BIG EAST have won a combined six league tournament titles. Georgetown (2007 BIG EAST), Butler (2008, 2010, 2011 Horizon) and Xavier (2002, 2004, 2006 Atlantic-10).

Ring BearersCreighton’s current coaching staff and players have combined for 34 MVC Tournament championship titles, two Northeast Conference Tournament titles and one West Coast Conference Tourney title. In addition to nearly everyone returning from last year’s championship squad, Darian DeVries has been a part of eight conference tournament championship squads as a Bluejay assistant coach, while Greg McDermott owns three MVC Tourney titles under his belt. In addition, Grant Gibbs was a redshirt on Gonzaga’s 2008-09 team that defeated Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game. With a run to the title this weekend, he can stake claim to four different conference tournament titles in three different leagues (WCC, MVC, BIG EAST). CU assistant coach Patrick Sellers won two tourney titles in the Northeast Conference while at Central Connecticut State. The only players on this year’s club without a ring are its true freshmen and junior college transfers. Here’s a breakdown of how many conference tournament titles each person has been a part of:Name Titles Won Years With A TitleDarian DeVries 8 1999, ‘00, ‘02, ‘03, ‘05, ‘07, ‘12, ‘13Greg McDermott 3 2004, 2012, 2013Grant Gibbs 3 2009*, 2012, 2013Steve Lutz 2 2012, 2013Patrick Sellers 2 2000$, 2002$Austin Chatman 2 2012, 2013Doug McDermott 2 2012, 2013Alex Olsen 2 2012#, 2013Jahenns Manigat 2 2012, 2013Avery Dingman 2 2012, 2013Geoffrey Groselle 2 2012#, 2013Will Artino 2 2012, 2013Ethan Wragge 2 2012, 2013Mo Oginni 2 2012#, 2013Isaiah Zierden 1 2013#*won a WCC Tourney title as a redshirt at Gonzaga#won a MVC Tourney title as a redshirt at CU$won a Northeast Conference Tourney title at CCSU

Random League Tournament Facts-Creighton has won its last 11 conference tournament games decided by four points or less.-Creighton is 8-2 in its last 10 conference tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays.-Creighton is 4-0 all-time against teams defending a conference tournament title, though that doesn’t apply this year since no other league school won a tourney title last year.-Creighton is 17-2 in seven conference tournaments with a league Player of the Year on its roster, including titles in five of the last six occurrences.

Historical TrendsHere’s five historical trends that indicate Creighton is a favorite to win the conference tournament.1.) Creighton went 6-3 in its final nine conference games this year. Each of the last five times the Jays went exactly 6-3 in its last nine league games, CU won the league tournament.2.) Creighton went 4-2 in its final six conference games this year. Five of the last six times the Jays went exactly 4-2 in its last six league games, CU won the tournament.3.) Creighton has won the conference tournament five of the last six times it’s had a player recognized as a conference Player of the Year, an award that Doug McDermott is a heavy favorite for this year.4.) Creighton opened league play 5-0 this season. Each of CU’s previous three teams to start 5-0 or better in league play would go on to win the conference tournament.5.) Creighton went 20-3 in nine MVC Tournament appearances as the second seed, including six titles. That includes titles in five of its last six appearances as the second seed.

Three-peat?Creighton is attempting to win back-to-back-to-back conference tournament titles for the first time in program history. CU won the 1999 & 2000 crowns, as well as the 2002 & 2003 titles, only to come up empty in 2001 and 2004 in a bid for a three-peat.

Repeat Tournament TitlesOnly 11 teams nationally won a conference tournament title in both 2012 and 2013. That list consists of Belmont, Creighton, Davidson, Long Island, Louisville, Memphis, Montana, New Mexico, New Mexico State, South Dakota State and Western Kentucky. Of those teams, Belmont, Davidson and Long Island have already been eliminated from its 2014 tournament through games of Sunday.

Milestone Watch-Ethan Wragge is two free throws made of 100 in his career, and four three-pointers shy of 100 this season.-Jahenns Manigat is three three-pointers shy of 200 in his career and one free throw shy of 100 in his career.-Doug McDermott is five points shy of becoming the sixth man in NCAA history with three different seasons of 800 points or more. It’s previously been done by Wayman Tisdale, Larry Bird, Freeman Williams, Pete Maravich and Oscar Robertson.-Doug McDermott is 39 points shy of Creighton’s single-season scoring record that he set last year of 834 points.-Doug McDermott could become the first man ever named Player of the Year in two different conferences.-A win could make this year’s club just the fifth in school history to win 25 games or more in a season. It’s also been done in 2002-03, 2008-09, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

All-Conference PicksCreighton had a pair of men honored by the BIG EAST on Sunday when All-Conference selections were announced.Doug McDermott was named First Team All-Conference in a vote of league coaches. It’s the fourth straight year he’s been a first-team pick, though the first three awards came from the MVC. In addition, Ethan Wragge was named an honorable-mention All-BIG EAST pick. Wragge leads the league in three-pointers made and three-point percentage.

Bleacher Report Honors McDermottBleacherReport.com has named Doug McDermott to its inaugural class of All-Americans, it was announced late Sunday night. In addition, the site also lists McDermott as its National Player of the Year, as well as the BIG EAST Player of the Year. This is McDermott’s second such lofty honor. As a sophomore, McDermott was named CollegeInsider’s Lute Olson Player of the Year.

All-Tournament HistoryDoug McDermott was named Most Outstanding Player of the MVC Tournament in both 2012 and 2013 after helping Creighton to consecutive titles. In eight career league tournament games, he’s averaged 20.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on 58.5 percent shooting from the field, including 60 percent marksmanship (18-30) from three-point range.

Special Senior ClassCreighton’s senior class features four men who have contributed immensely to the program, as Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge, all made immediate impacts. During the past four years, the Jays have gone 104-36 while appearing in the postseason every season, claiming the 2012-13 MVC regular-season title, as well as the 2012 and 2013 MVC Tournament titles. The 29 wins two years ago are a school-record, as are the 57 wins from 2011-13 for a two-year span, the 81 wins from 2011-14 the mark for a three-year span and 104 wins are the most-ever in a four-year span at Creighton. In the last four years the team was 64-7 at home, including a 31-5 mark in league play, and this group has been part of the first teams in school history to win NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons. The quartet has combined for 5720 points, 2174 rebounds and 1026 assists while shooting a combined 832-1914 (43.5%) from three-point range.

McDermott & TisdaleDoug McDermott enters Thursday’s game with 795 points this season. According to ESPN Stats, McDermott is the first player with 750 points in three seasons since La Salle’s Lionel Simmons (1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90). McDermott had 801 points as a sophomore and 834 points as a junior before his 795 (and counting) point effort this season. McDermott could become the first player with 800 points in three seasons since Oklahoma’s Wayman Tisdale (1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85). According to Mike Douchant of CollegeHoopedia.com, the only men to have three 800-point seasons all-time are Tisdale, Larry Bird, Freeman Williams, Pete Maravich and Oscar Robertson. It’s also worth noting that Creighton is 23-1 all-time when McDermott scores 30+ points, and 19-0 when he scores 31 or more.

40, Back-to-Back?Doug McDermott enters the BIG EAST Tournament after a 45-point showing last Saturday vs. Providence. The only player in Creighton history to post two straight 40-point contests was Benoit Benjamin. Benjamin had 43 points vs. Southern Illinois on Jan. 17, 1985, then had 45 points against Indiana State two days later. Saturday’s game was McDermott’s third career game of 40 points or more. He scored 44 as a sophomore at Bradley and had 41 on Senior Day in 2013 vs. Wichita State.

Speaking of 40While we’re on the topic of Doug McDermott’s 45 points vs. Providence, let’s look at all the notes associated with it. McDermott’s 45 points were a career-high, one more than his previous best done as a sophomore at Bradley. McDermott’s 45 points were a CenturyLink Center Omaha record. The old mark was 43 by Evansville’s Colt Ryan in 2012, while the old facility mark by a Creighton player was 42 points from Cavel Witter in 2008 vs. Bradley. McDermott’s 45 points were tied for fifth-most in Creighton history for one game and the most since Benoit Benjamin had 45 points on Jan. 19, 1985 vs. Indiana State. McDermott’s 45 points were the fourth-most in BIG EAST history for a league game, and most since Marshon Brooks had a league-record 52 points vs. Notre Dame on Feb. 23, 2011.

A Little Garden VarietyCreighton’s trip to Madison Square Garden on Feb. 9th was the school’s first trek to the venue as it currently stands. CU’s last game on record at a “Madison Square Garden” had been a February, 1964 visit to play New York University. That game, as well as several others before that (such as the 1942 NIT), took place in the third variation of Madison Square Garden. That facility was demolished in 1968. The current Madison Square Garden (MSG IV) facility opened in 1967, with its first basketball game contested in 1968. Before Feb. 9th, Creighton’s only current student-athlete to play in a college game at The Garden is Grant Gibbs (in 2008-09 at Gonzaga). Notably, Greg McDermott, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge had never visited the World’s Most Famous Arena until Feb. 9th.

Big StageDoug McDermott is one of the frontrunners for the Wooden Award, which led us to look back at how the last 20 Wooden Award winners did in their first game of their award-winning season at Madison Square Garden, if they visited the World’s Most Famous Arena. McDermott had 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting in Creighton’s Feb. 9 game at St. John’s at The Garden.Yr. Name, School Pts. Reb. Ast‘12 Anthony Davis, Kentucky 14 6 0*‘10 Evan Turner, Ohio State 23 11 4‘09 Blake Griffin, Oklahoma 32 15 3‘07 Kevin Durant, Texas 21 9 1‘04 Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s 20 8 10‘03 T.J. Ford, Texas 22 2 8‘01 Shane Battier, Duke 16 6 0*7 blocked shots

Famous Moment, Famous CoachMadison Square Garden is often referred to as the “World’s Most Famous Arena”, and a former Creighton coach is involved in what a 2013 Bleacher Report poll named the greatest moment in Madison Square Garden history. After missing Game 6 with a severe thigh injury, NBA MVP Willis Reed limped out of the tunnel prior to Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to raucous applause. He would start and make the New York Knicks’ first two baskets. Though he wouldn’t score again, the tone was set and he was named Finals MVP. Reed would later serve as head coach at Creighton from 1981-85, winning 52 games.

Defense Came Up ClutchCreighton’s oft-maligned defense stepped up in the 2013 MVC Tournament, helping to carry Creighton to a title. The Jays held three foes to 53.7 points per game, as those teams shot a collective 32.4 percent from the floor and 25.5 percent from three-point range. Included in those wins was a 67-64 championship game victory over Final Four-bound Wichita State.

1K to 2K to 3KCreighton’s Doug McDermott went over the 1,000 point milestone in his 57th career game (Jan. 15, 2012 vs. SIU), surpassed 2,000 in game 101 at Evansville on Feb. 16, 2013, and reached 3,000 points on March 8, 2014. McDermott had 1,018 points (17.9 ppg.) and 433 rebounds (7.6 rpg.) in his first 57 games while shooting 44.9 percent (80-179) from three-point range. In the 44 games (career games 58-101) between points 1,019-2,001, McDermott had 983 points (22.3 ppg.) and 345 rebounds (7.8 rpg.) while shooting 46.7 percent (78-167) from three-point range. In the 39 games (career games 102-140) between points 2,001 and 3,011 points, McDermott had 1,010 points (25.9 ppg.) and 282 rebounds (7.2 rpg.) while shooting 45.9 percent (100-218) from three-point range.

Three-Mendous ShootingCreighton owns 309 three-pointers this season, most in school history. Last year’s club set the previous school standard with 307 in 36 games. In addition, Creighton’s 42.0 percent marksmanship from three-point range would rank second-best in school history, trailing only the 2011-12 squad that shot 42.4 percent from downtown. This year’s Creighton team owned 173 three-pointers in BIG EAST play alone, breaking a conference record (in league play) of 155 first set by the 2004-05 Notre Dame team.

BIG EAST Record WatchIn addition to the record for three-pointers made by a team in BIG EAST play, Creighton had numerous individuals etch their name in the record book.Doug McDermott averaged 27.7 points per game in BIG EAST play. The ‘career’ record for a one-year player was 22.3 per game by Villanova’s Michael Bradley in 2000-01. McDermott owned 498 points in league play. The BIG EAST record for points in a conference season had been 468 by Providence’s Marshon Brooks in 2010-11. McDermott’s 27.7 points per game was the highest in league play since the Troy Bell averaged 27.8 points per game in league play, in 2002-03. Creighton shot 49.9 percent from the field in league play. That mark was the best by any BIG EAST club since Georgetown shot 50.5 percent in 2006-07.

Top Scorers, NationallyDoug McDermott (26.5 ppg.) enters Thursday’s quarterfinal game ranked first nationally in scoring at 26.5 points per game just ahead of Niagara’s Antoine Mason (25.6), son of former NBA big man Anthony Mason Jr. McDermott has had 25 or more points in nine of his last 10 games, an incredible streak even by the lofty expectations bestowed on him. McDermott ranked third nationally as a sophomore (22.9 ppg.) before moving up to second place as a junior (23.2 ppg.). Below is a list of the nation’s five top scorers:Rank Name, School PPG Next Game 1. Doug McDermott, Creighton 26.5 3/13 2. Antoine Mason, Niagara 25.6 Done 3. T.J. Warren, NC State 24.2 3/9 4. Billy Baron, Canisius 24.2 TBD 5. Patrick Miller, Tennessee State 23.7 Done

Scoring Leader in Postseason?Doug McDermott is a rare player who is leading the country in scoring while also playing for a team that is in contention for an NCAA Tournament bid. The last time the eventual NCAA scoring champ played in the NCAA’s came in 2011, when Jimmer Fredette did so with BYU. Besides Fredette, the only other players in the last 15 years to lead the country in scoring and play in the NCAA’s were Houston’s Aubrey Coleman (2010), Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison (2006) and Fresno State’s Courtney Alexander (2000). The only player in the last 40 years from a “BCS” conference to lead the nation in scoring and make the NCAA Tournament was Purdue’s Glenn Robinson in 1993-94.

Wragge Chases Century MarkEthan Wragge enters Thursday with 96 three-pointers this season, trailing only a pair of Kyle Korver single-season totals in Bluejay history. Wragge owns 15 career games with five three-pointers or more, including seven such contests this year. The last BIG EAST player to finish a season with more than 100 three-pointers was Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs in 2010-11.

Regular-Season StarsCreighton owns 24 wins at the end of the regular-season. Only five previous Bluejay teams have won 24 or more games before the conference tournament.Creighton’s Most Regular-Season Wins W-L Season 25-5 2011-12 25-6 2008-09 24-4 2002-03 24-6 2013-14 24-7 2012-13 23-5 1921-22 23-6 2000-01

14 League WinsCreighton finished with 14 league wins this year. Only six CU teams ever have won 14 or more league games, all of them since 2000-01. Last year, Creighton went 13-5 in MVC play and won an outright Valley regular-season title.

Bono & BuffettCreighton met U2 musician Bono at the Teterboro (N.J.) airport following its Feb. 9 game at St. John’s. Bono was at the airport on his way to Los Angeles and like the Jays, was waiting for his plane to get de-iced before taking off. After posing for several photos with the team, the rock legend and noted humanitarian talked to Director of Basketball Operations Jeff Vanderloo at length about a variety of topics. Creighton had another brush with celebrity prior to its March 8th game vs. Providence, as billionaire Warren Buffett met wth numerous student-athletes, coaches and staffers as a guest of Creighton President Timothy R. Lannon, S.J. Buffett, who had five Creighton stickers tattooed to his face, spent more than 20 minutes on the court while posing for dozens of photos with not only Creighton’s representatives, but also Providence coach Ed Cooley. The “Oracle of Omaha” resides in Omaha and hosts the annual Berkshire-Hathaway Shareholders meeting each spring at CenturyLink Center Omaha, where Creighton basketball also plays. Creighton senior Doug McDermott, a Marketing major, presented Buffett with one of his own bobblehead dolls as well as a framed, autographed poster that said “Thanks a Million Billion”.

Zierden Sidelined By Knee InjuryRedshirt freshman guard Isaiah Zierden is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a dislocated patellar tendon in his right knee during Creighton’s March 1 game at Xavier. Zierden had seen an increased role in recent weeks and is currently the nation’s only player with at least 300 minutes played and fewer than five turnovers.

McDermott’s In The Top 10Creighton senior Doug McDermott enters Thursday’s game seventh in NCAA history with 3,011 career points. McDermott is already the all-time leading scorer of any player to appear in a BIG EAST game, passing former Boston College great Troy Bell. McDermott has passed hoop legends Oscar Robertson, Hersey Hawkins, Larry Bird, Danny Manning, J.J. Redick, Elgin Baylor, Bill Bradley, Sean Elliott, Jimmer Fredette, Joe Dumars, Calbert Cheaney, Byron Larkin, Don MacLean, Keith Van Horn, Stephen Curry, David Robinson, Hank Gathers and Wayman Tisdale in the NCAA record book during the last few weeks. Page three of this release lists the top-50 scorers in NCAA history.

Consistent ChallengersThis year’s Creighton team has clinched a second-place finish in the BIG EAST. Including this year, 12 of Creighton’s last 17 teams have finished either first or second the regular-season race of league play. Two of the five that didn’t won the MVC Tournament. The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and 2012-13, tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07 and second this year in the BIG EAST, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament, while the 2010-11 club tied for fourth place.Creighton’s League Finishes, Last 17 Years1st Place 2000-01, 2012-13 (won MVC Tourn.)Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-092nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.), 2011-12 (won MVC Tourn.), 2013-14Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10Tied for 4th Place 2010-11

Toughest Thing In SportsCreighton is 24-12 in true road games the past three years, and 36-15 when you also include neutral site games. This year’s team is 7-4 in true road games and 1-2 at neutral sites. Each of Creighton’s last 10 NCAA Tournament qualifiers have had 10 or more road/neutral wins.

Big Win At MarquetteCreighton’s victory on Feb. 19 at Marquette was a rare lopsided home loss for the Golden Eagles. The 85-70 setback was the largest home conference loss for Marquette in its BIG EAST history, and biggest margin of defeat in a conference home loss since February of 2005 when it fell to UAB. The Golden Eagles had been 23-1 in its previous 24 BIG EAST home games.

McDermotts Up For USBWA HonorsBoth Greg and Doug McDermott are up for some pretty major awards that will be doled out by the US Basketball Writers Association.Greg McDermott is one of 10 coaches on the ballot for the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award. He’s joined by John Beilein, Tony Bennett, Larry Brown, Jim Crews, Mick Cronin, Billy Donovan, Steve Fisher, Gregg Marshall and Jay Wright.Doug McDermott is one of 15 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, given to the nation’s best player. It’s the third straight year he’s been a finalist for the award. The Henry Iba Award will be announced on March 24th, while the Oscar Robertson Trophy is announced on April 4th. Both will be presented at an April 14 banquet in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Player of the Week x 8Doug McDermott’s awards haul continued on Feb. 17th when he was named BIG EAST Player of the Week as well as National Player of the Week from NBCSports.com, CBSSports.com the Naismith Trophy and the USBWA. He then earned it for an eighth time on March 9th after averaging 33.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in two games last week. It’s the eighth time this season McDermott’s been named BIG EAST Player of the Year. That’s a league record. It was the third time in seven weeks CBSSports.com named McDermott the National Player of the Week. It was also the second time this season McDermott’s was named National Player of the Week by NBCSports.com and the USBWA. Keep in mind, there’s also been two other weeks that McDermott has been named ESPN.com National Player of the Week. McDermott averaged 32.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in wins at Butler and at home over No. 6 Villanova to merit the honor.

“Off” Weeks Are Still Pretty GoodDoug McDermott was named BIG EAST Player of the Week eight of the 17 weeks this season. In the nine weeks he has NOT been named league player of the week, his numbers are still worthy of All-American consideration. In those nine weeks, spanning 15 games, he’s averaged 23.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 89.1 percent at the line.

McDermott Fan Club President?You can’t be much more effusive with praise about a player than Villanova coach Jay Wright was after the Feb. 16th game when asked about Doug McDermott passing Larry Bird. “I think he’s as complete a player, and I do not use that term loosely, with size, as I’ve ever seen. With 6-8, 6-9, there’s nothing he can’t do. He can take you off the dribble. He guards, he’s tough as hell guarding. He defends. He rebounds. He moves without the ball. He seals. He’s the best post player that we’ve played against and he’s the best perimeter player, and maybe one of the best passers, and he’s 6-8, 6-9. I think he’s as good a basketball player as I’ve seen.”

Quantity & QualityNot only is Doug McDermott a prolific scorer, but he’s an efficient one, as well. As seen in the list below, McDermott is one of nine men in NCAA history to score at least 2,800 career points and make more than 50 percent of his shots from the field. On that list, only Danny Manning has shot more accurately than McDermott from the field.2,800 Points & 50% FG, All-Time(Sorted by FG%)Rk. Name, School FG% Points1. Danny Manning, Kansas .593 2,9512. Doug McDermott, Creighton .550 3,0113. Otis Birdsong, Houston .547 2,8324. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley .539 3,0085. Elvin Hayes, Houston .5364 2,8846. Tyler Hansbrough, N. Carolina .5360 2,8727. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati .535 2,9738. Larry Bird, Indiana State .533 2,8509. Lionel Simmons, La Salle .501 3,217

Father/Son DuosAccording to the website CollegeHoopedia.com, Doug McDermott is just the sixth man in NCAA history to be named conference player of the year while playing for his father. Joining them on that elite list are Dick/Mark Acres (Oral Roberts), Dick/Tony Bennett (UW Green Bay), Homer/Bryce Drew (Valparaiso), Press/Pete Maravich (LSU) and Clifford/C.J. Reed (Bethune-Cookman). Below is a list compiled by ESPN.com of most points scored by a guy playing for his dad:Name, School Points FatherPete Maravich,LSU 3,667 PressDoug McDermott, Creighton 3,011 Greg Allan Houston, Tennessee 2,801 WadeTony Bennett, UWGB 2,285 DickBryce Drew, Valparaiso 2,142 Homer

Points & BucketsDoug McDermott averages 26.5 points per game and is shooting 52.2 percent from the field. Since 1997-98, the only other college men to average 25.5 points or more and shoot 50.0 percent or better for an entire season have been VMI’s Reggie Williams (twice) and Kansas State’s Michael Beasley (once).

Glass EaterThough his scoring gets much of the attention, Doug McDermott remains the Creighton leader in rebounding, as well. McDermott averages 7.2 rebounds per game and has corralled at least five rebounds in 27-of-30 contests overall this year. McDermott is in position to be the first player to ever lead the Bluejays in rebounding in four straight years in records that date to 1955-56.

Like A Scene Out Of A MovieGreg McDermott picked up his 100th victory on the Creighton sideline at legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse on Feb. 13th as his son hit a game-winning shot in the final minute. McDermott was the second-quickest in CU history to 100 wins, needing 134 games. McDermott followed up his 100th win at Creighton with his 250th career victory as a Division I head coach three days later in the triumph over Villanova on Feb. 16th.Games Coach 100th Win Date133 Arthur Schabinger 2/17/30 vs. Marquette134 Greg McDermott 2/13/14 at Butler144 Tom Apke 1/3/80 at Southern Illinois165 Eddie Hickey 1/16/42 vs. Oklahoma St.171 “Red” McManus 2/2/66 vs. Memphis178 Dana Altman 11/20/01 vs. Western Illinois181 Tony Barone 3/3/91 vs. Southern Illinois

Speaking of 39Doug McDermott has a pair of 39 point games in BIG EAST play this season, doing it vs. St. John’s (Jan. 28) and again vs. No. 6 Villanova (Feb. 16). He then scored 45 points on Senior Day vs. Providence (March 8th). McDermott’s 45 points were the most by any player in one game in the BIG EAST play since Marshon Brooks had 52 in 2011. McDermott’s 39 were the third-most ever vs. Villanova in BIG EAST play, and most since Da’Sean Butler had 43 for West Virginia in 2009. The only other players in BIG EAST history with multiple conference games of 39+ points in the same season have been Marshon Brooks (Providence in 2010-11), Mark Tillmon (Georgetown, 1989-90), Allen Iverson (Georgetown, 1995-96), Eric Murdock (Providence, 1990-91). McDermott, however, is the first to do it three times in one year.

Key Number From 3-Point RangeCreighton’s key number from three-point range seems to be 40 percent. In the last three years under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 29-16 (.644) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU’s 53-4 (.930) mark the last three years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown. Lower the standards to 30%, and it’s still impressive. Creighton is 71-9 in the last three years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 10-11 when shooting 29.99 percent or less. For the season, Creighton leads the nation with 42.0 percent shooting from deep, a figure that ranks ahead of 62 teams overall field goal percentage nationally.

Going Gray?Creighton has worn its new alternate gray uniforms five times this year, double-digit home wins over Nebraska, Marquette, Butler, No. 6 Villanova and Providence. Even more impressively, Creighton never trailed at any point in the first three games, for all of 18 seconds against ‘Nova, and for 97 seconds vs. Providence, while outscoring the opposition 236-132 in the first half. In those three games, the Bluejays led 38-8 early (and 51-25 at half) over Nebraska, 53-24 at half over Butler, 37-24 at half over Marquette, 50-37 at half vs. No. 6 Villanova and 45-22 at home vs. Providence on March 8th.

Big Margins vs. Top 5According to ESPN.com, Creighton’s 96-68 win over No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20 was a victory for the ages. The chart below signifies the largest margin of victory by an unranked team over a top-five team in the last 20 seasons.Year Winner Upset Victim Won By2011-12 Florida State #3 North Carolina 332008-09 Notre Dame #5 Louisville 332013-14 Creighton #4 Villanova 28

Endless RangeCreighton set a BIG EAST and school-record with 21 three-point baskets on Jan. 20 in a 28-point win at No. 4 Villanova. Creighton’s previous mark was 20, done vs. Chattanooga in 2005. The previous BIG EAST mark was 20, done by Notre Dame vs. Villanova in 2011 and by West Virginia vs. Marquette in 2006. The 21 three-pointers were the most by any college team since 2010, and according to Athlon Sports, the most in a game between major conference teams since Kentucky made 21 vs. North Carolina on Dec. 27, 1989. Creighton’s 35 three-point attempts tied the school record, done three times previously. Creighton broke the Wells Fargo Center record for three-pointers by a Villanova opponent late in the first half (the old mark was 12), and also set a mark for most points against ‘Nova at the Wells Fargo Center with 96, passing the old mark of 90.

McDermott, FTWDoug McDermott entered the season having never hit a game-winning shot in his life. He’s now done it three times this season. At Saint Joseph’s on Nov. 16th, McDermott’s traditional three-point play with 4.9 seconds left helped Creighton overcome a one-point deficit in an eventual 68-64 win. Against St. John’s on Jan. 28th, McDermott’s three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left broke a game that was deadlocked at 60-all in CU’s eventual 63-60 win. Most recently on Feb. 13th, McDermott’s three-pointer with 47.8 seconds left helped Creighton overcome a 63-61 deficit and started a game-ending 7-0 run in a 68-63 win at Butler. In the last five minutes of games during the past two seasons, McDermott is 47-for-82 (57.3 percent) from the field, including 8-of-21 from three-point range, and is also 56-for-69 at the free throw line. He also owns 56 rebounds and nine assists in that time. Step it up to the last minute of games and McDermott is 9-for-14 from the field, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, and also 20-for-26 at the line. In those games, he’s grabbed 11 last-minute rebounds, as well.

Wragge “Balboa”Playing in a city where “Rocky” was filmed, Creighton senior Ethan Wragge put one of the most impressive shooting displays in recent college basketball history on Jan. 20th. Wragge shot 7-for-7 from three-point range in the first seven minutes at No. 4 Villanova, and would finish the first half with a career-best 24 points. He finished the game with 27 points, and his nine three-pointers tied the previous Creighton record held by Kyle Korver. Wragge’s nine trifectas were one shy of the BIG EAST single-game record. During the game, Wragge’s name and #WraggeBombs were both trending nationally on Twitter. In Creighton’s previous trip to Philadelphia on Nov. 16 to play Saint Joseph’s, Wragge drained a then-best seven three-pointers and scored 21 points.

McDermott Rewrites Weekly HistoryDoug McDermott has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week eight times this season. The eight honors are most in one season in conference history, two more than the six honors won by John Wallace from Syracuse in 1995-96 and later matched by Troy Murphy of Notre Dame in 1999-2000.

Against Ranked TeamsAll sorts of interesting numbers surround Creighton’s 96-68 win over No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20 in Milwaukee and its 101-80 victory over No. 6 Villanova on Feb. 16 in Omaha. Creighton improved to 20-118 all-time against teams that are nationally-ranked in the Associated Press poll with the two wins. No. 6 Villanova was the highest-ranked team to play Creighton in Omaha since No. 4 DePaul on Dec. 31, 1983. Creighton had last beaten a top-six team at home on Jan. 29, 1970, when it toppled No. 5 New Mexico State 72-68 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. On Feb. 16th, Creighton improved to 2-6 all-time vs. ranked teams while ranked itself, with the first such win coming on March 16, 1974 vs. No. 16 Louisville in the NCAA Tournament.Greg McDermott improved to 2-3 at Creighton and 9-25 overall as a Division I head coach against teams in the AP’s top-25. Creighton improved to 12-33 all-time at home against ranked teams. Creighton improved to 7-53 all-time against top-10 foes.

Top 25 Win, And MoreCreighton’s 96-68 win over No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20 rewrote the record book in numerous ways. Consider...-The win over the No. 4 team matched the highest ranked team CU has ever beaten, previously No. 4 Arizona State on Dec. 13, 1963.-Creighton had lost 22 straight games against top-10 teams dating to 1974.-Creighton had lost 11 straight games against ranked teams since 2007.-Creighton had lost 25 straight true road games against ranked teams since a 1978 win over a Larry Bird-led Indiana State team.-It was Creighton’s first win over a top-five team since Jan. 29, 1970. Creighton had been 2-25 all-time against top-five foes.-It was the highest-ranked team ever beaten by Greg McDermott at the Division I level.-It was Creighton’s largest margin of victory in 137 games against a ranked team. The previous high was 12, done in a 53-41 win vs. No. 17 Illinois State in 1983.-The 28-point loss was Villanova’s largest in 13 years under Jay Wright, the largest by ‘Nova since 2000-01 (93-65 at UCLA), and largest at home since the 1980-81 season when it lost to Notre Dame by a 94-65 count.-The 96 points (and later 101) were the most allowed by Villanova since the 2009-10 season, when the Wildcats surrendered 103 points to Georgetown.

What A Start!Creighton made a three-pointer on each of its first nine possessions in its Jan. 20 win at No. 4 Villanova. Creighton started the game 7-for-7 from deep, missed a two-pointer but turned an offensive rebound into another trey, and then sank a trifecta on its ninth trip, as well. That brings to mind all sorts of fun stats.-According to Ken Pomeroy, Creighton became the first team since Indiana State in 2012 to make its first nine attempts from three-point range in a game. Pomeroy found evidence of six teams in the last five years to make their first nine attempts from downtown.-Pomeroy’s research also indicates that Creighton is the only team in the last five years to make nine straight three’s without any other scores to start a game.-Pomeroy also found that Creighton was the second team in five years to score each of its first 30 points via the three-pointer. Miami (Ohio) had its first 33 points vs. Western Michigan on Jan. 28, 2012.-The Villanova contest marked the eighth time under Greg McDermott that Creighton’s made its first five (or more) shots (of any distance). Creighton also made its first five shots at St. John’s on Feb. 9th.Start Opponent Date13-13 Campbell 11/25/118-8 Illinois State 2/1/128-8 Idaho State 12/18/107-7 at #4 Villanova 1/20/146-6 Oregon 3/28/115-5 Chicago State 12/29/135-5 Alcorn State 11/8/135-5 UCF 3/23/11

Just Win BabyCreighton has won 18 straight home games, a streak that began on Feb. 19, 2013 vs. Southern Illinois. That’s the longest streak in facility history by Creighton. The Bluejays were 16-0 at home this year, clinching its first unbeaten home season since closing the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 with a 17-0 mark. The school-record for longest home win streak is 28, done from 1917-1920 and again from 2002-04. Below is a list of Creighton’s longest home win streaks in the 11-year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha.Streak Dates Snapped By18 Feb. 19, 2013 - Present ? ? ?16 Feb. 9, 2005 - Jan. 31, 2006 So. Illinois16 Jan. 19, 2010 - Dec. 22, 2011 Missouri St.14 Feb. 2, 2008 - Dec. 28, 2008 No. Iowa11 Nov. 22, 2003 - Feb. 4, 2004 So. Illinois

Double G Posts Double-DoubleGrant Gibbs had the first point-rebound double-double of his career at St. John’s on Feb. 9th when he had 12 points and 11 rebounds. The 11 rebounds for Gibbs were a career-high, and five more than his previous season-best. Gibbs earned a point-assist double-double as a sophomore in 2011-12 when he had 12 points and 10 rebounds at Illinois State.

Dunking Machine?Doug McDermott has five dunks in the last eight games, including two at St. John’s on Feb. 9th in his only other previous trip to Madison Square Garden. The recent dunking spree gives him nine on the season and 19 in his career among his 1,087 career baskets. McDermott had four dunks last season, one as a sophomore and five jams as a freshman.

20 Wins, AgainCreighton has reached 20 or more victories for the 16th time in the last 17 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally. Just five schools nationally entered this season with 20 or more wins each of the previous 15 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse. Creighton entered this season one of four schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 14 of the previous 15 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky and Utah State. Entering this season, that’s better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (13 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (12 each).Most 20+ Win Seasons, Last 15 YearsSeasons* School 2013-14 W-L Next Game 15 Florida 29-2 15 Syracuse 27-4 15 Gonzaga 26-6 3/9 15 Duke 24-7 15 Kansas 23-8 14 Creighton 24-6 3/13 14 Kentucky 22-9 14 Utah State 17-13 3/12 14 Kent State 16-15 *entering 2013-14

Double-Digit League Wins, As WellCreighton has won 10 or more conference games in each of the last 18 seasons, a mark it extended on Feb. 13 at Butler. On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 17 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (20 straight seasons after reaching the mark earlier this season). Since 2007-08, the only 21 teams with 10 or more league wins each season are Belmont, BYU, Creighton, Davidson, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Memphis, Mercer, Middle Tennessee, Murray State, Ohio State, Oral Roberts, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Saint Mary’s, UNC Asheville, VCU, Weber State and Wisconsin.

Winning WaysCreighton owns 81 wins in the past three seasons and 104 wins during the last four years. The totals are among the best stretches in school history, as seen belowMost Wins, 3-Year Stretch W-L Years 81 2011-Present 80 2010-13 76 2000-03 72 2001-04 72 2002-05

Fundamentally SoundDoug McDermott led the nation in 2011-12 with 307 field goals made, and his 284 buckets last year once again led the nation. He’s second in the country this year with 276. Prior to McDermott, no player had led the country in field goals made in back-to-back seasons since Wayman Tisdale in 1983-85. According to research from ESPN, he’s the nation’s first player in more than 20 years to make 1,000 career field goals. The last time someone made their 1,000th field goal was way back in 1992-93, when Indiana’s Calbert Cheaney (1,018) and Mississippi Valley State’s Alphonso Ford (1,121) both did it. One area that makes McDermott so unique is his ability to use his off (left) hand, and to use the backboard, as seen below:Year FG Backboard Left-Hand2010-11 220 64 282011-12 307 174 562012-13 284 132 262013-14 276 108 29Totals 1,087 478 139

Elite EightCreighton’s Doug McDermott owns 3,011 career points and 1,060 career rebounds. He joins Lionel Simmons and Harry Kelly as the only men in NCAA history with 3,000 points and 1.000 rebounds. The complete list is on page five.

Doug Does His ShareDoug McDermott had 39 of Creighton’s 63 points in its Jan. 28 win over St. John’s. In the last 20 years, it was just the fifth time that a Bluejay had scored 50 percent or more of his team’s points. McDermott then had more than half the points on March 8th, as well. The 61.9 percent of CU’s points was the most by any player in those 20 years.50% Or More of Creighton’s Points, Games Since 1993-94CUPts. Player vs. Opponent Date63 39, Doug McDermott vs. St. John’s 1/28/1474 39, Doug McDermott at Missouri St. 1/11/1365 40, Rodney Buford vs. Bradley 12/30/9888 45, Doug McDermott vs. Providence 3/8/1472 36, Rodney Buford vs. Illinois St. 2/5/9650 25, Tad Ackerman at Wichita St. 2/23/95

Last Second DramaDoug McDermott hit a game-winning three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left to beat St. John’s in Creighton’s home game on Jan. 28th. It was Creighton’s first go-ahead score in the last 10 seconds of a home game since Antoine Young’s bucket with 0.3 seconds in 2012 vs. Long Beach State left made him the first player in CenturyLink Center Omaha history with two game-winning scores at the facility. Creighton is now 7-2 in games with a go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds in the 11-year old facility.Creighton’s Go-Ahead Scores in Wins, Last 10 SecondsDate Opponent Score Player/Score Time11/26/05 Dayton W 91-90* Funk FG :5.701/28/06 Wichita St. W 57-55 Tolliver FG :0.011/25/06 George Mason W 58-56 Watts FT :7.503/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 Witter 3FG :3.201/13/10 Southern Illinois W 71-69 Young FG :1.302/18/12 Long Beach St. W 81-79 Young FG :0.301/28/14 St. John’s W 63-60 McDermott 3FG :2.8*double-overtime

Poll PositionCreighton finished last season ranked 22nd in the final Associated Press poll, and made its 2013-14 debut in the top-25 poll on Nov. 18 when it was No. 23rd. The Jays then climbed to 20th the week of Nov. 25th. The Jays dropped out of the poll for six weeks before returning on Jan. 13th with a No. 20 ranking. After one week out of the poll, CU was 20th two weeks ago before skyrocketing to 12th on Feb. 3rd, dropping to 18th on Feb. 10th, and moving up to 11th on Feb. 17th. After a best-ever ninth ranking on Feb. 24th, the Jays were 13th in the March 3rd poll. Creighton is 81-30 all-time when ranked in the AP poll. Including the March 3rd poll result, Creighton has been ranked 37 times in 75 weeks of AP polls under Greg McDermott, and ranked between 26th-to-28th in nine other AP polls. The 37 weeks in the top-25 under McDermott is more than any coach in Bluejay history. In the March 3rd USA Today Coaches poll, Creighton was ranked 13th, and the Jays were also eighth in last week’s NCAA RPI ranking.Most Weeks in AP Top 25 at CU, By CoachGreg McDermott, 2010-Pres. 37 (of 75)Dana Altman, 1994-2010 18Tom Apke, 1974-81 5Eddie Sutton, 1969-74 5

Over .500, AgainCreighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of its league season in 37 straight trips through the league, including both halves this year. Here’s how Creighton’s teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC/BIG EAST season since 1995-96.Year 1st Half 2nd Half2013-14 8-1 6-32012-13 7-2 6-32011-12 8-1 6-32010-11 5-4 5-42009-10 5-4 5-42008-09 5-4 9-0 2007-08 5-4 5-42006-07 6-3 7-22005-06 7-2 5-42004-05 5-4 6-32003-04 7-2 5-42002-03 8-1 7-22001-02 8-1 6-32000-01 5-4 9-01999-00 5-4 6-31998-99 6-3 5-41997-98 5-4 7-21996-97 5-4 5-41995-96 4-5 5-4Total 114-57 (.667) 115-56 (.673)

Wragge Earns League & National HonorSenior forward Ethan Wragge was named BIG EAST Player of the Week and ESPN.com’s National Player of the Week on Jan. 27 after helping Creighton to double-digit wins over No. 4 Villanova and Georgetown and averaging 19.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He shot a blistering 60 percent from the field (12-20), with all 20 attempts coming from behind the three-point line, and was also perfect in three attempts from the charity stripe. Wragge opened his week with one of the best shooting displays in Creighton history while scoring a career-high 27 points. He made 9-of-14 three-point shots, tying a single-game mark first set by Kyle Korver, while adding three rebounds and three assists. Wragge made each of his first seven three-point attempts, including one in each of the game’s first seven minutes, as the Bluejays surged to a 27-8 lead against one of the nation’s top defenses. Wragge’s eighth trey of the first half stopped a 13-0 run that had drawn ‘Nova within 15 points, and he would tie the school mark with 14:02 left in the game. The win was Creighton’s first over a ranked team in a true road game since 1978, and matched the highest-ranked club that the Jays have ever beaten. In the Jan. 25 win over Georgetown, Wragge had 12 points and four rebounds in a 13-point victory. After Creighton fell behind 11-7 early, Wragge scored all his points during a pivotal 15-4 run in a five-minute stretch that gave CU the lead for good. His second trifecta of the day made history as he joined Korver as the second player in Creighton history with 300 or more three-pointers.

Over 700 Points, AgainDoug McDermott is third in the nation with 795 points this season, his fourth straight season of 500 or more points. McDermott is the only player in Creighton history to score 500 or more in four straight seasons, one more than the three times done by Paul Silas (1961-64), Bob Harstad (1988-91) and Rodney Buford (1996-99). McDermott has scored in double-figures in 130 of 140 career games, including 98-of-101 contests since the start of his sophomore season. McDermott now owns the only three seasons in Creighton history with 750 points or more.

Home Sweet HomeCreighton is 64-7 (.901) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, improving to 161-25 (.866) all-time in the 11-year-old facility. Factor in a 17-0 home mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 and two wins at the Civic in the 2010 CIT, and the Bluejays are 180-25 (.878) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.Doug McDermott averaged 29.5 points per game at home this season in just 32.9 minutes per game. He scored 16.3 points per game in the first half at home this season, and reached double-figures before half in all but one contest. Each of Ethan Wragge’s last 61 field goals at home were three-pointers. He last made a two-pointer at home on Jan. 8, 2013 vs. Drake.

Racing To 75Ethan Wragge needed just 20 games to reach 75 three-pointers made this season. He was the second-fastest player in program history to reach the milestone, trailing only Kyle Korver (16 games) in 2002-03. Below is a list of the fewest games to 75 three-pointers in program history.Fewest Games Before Making 75th 3-PointerName Year Games to 75Kyle Korver 2002-03 16Ethan Wragge 2013-14 20Tad Ackerman 1994-95 25Kyle Korver 2000-01 26Booker Woodfox 2008-09 27Kyle Korver 2001-02 28Doug McDermott 2012-13 29Rod Mason 1987-88 32Ethan Wragge 2012-13 35Doug McDermott 2012-13 35

1 If By Land, 2 If By Sea, 3 If By WraggeEthan Wragge owns 1,110 career points, but just 26 two-point field goals. No other player since 1997 has scored 1,100 career points with fewer than career 40 two-pointers, Since 2006-07, Wragge owns the nation’s only two seasons with at least 78 three-pointers and six or fewer two-point baskets, having done it last year (78 3’s, 6 2’s) and this season (96 3’s, 2 2’s). Wragge’s 96 treys this year are more than any other player since 1997-98 in a season with two or fewer two-point field goals. In those seasons, Butler’s Bruce Horan owns the mark for most trifectas with three two-pointers with 113 (and 3 2’s) in 2005-06. Among active players, the active player with more than 1,000 career points and the second-fewest amount of two-pointers is Baylor’s Brady Heslip (1,052 points; 55 two-pointers).

A KenPom Delight?Noted statistician Ken Pomeroy’s website, KenPom.com has numerous ratings that break down team efficiencies. The site consistently ranks Creighton’s offense among the nation’s best. Pomeroy’s site (through March 8) ranks Creighton with the best mark nationwide in “Adjusted Efficiency” at 125.4 points per 100 possessions, first in “Effective Field Goal %” at 58.9 percent, first in three-point percentage at 42.1 percent and fifth in “Assists Per Field Goals Made” at 65.1 percent.

Shooting StarEthan Wragge made multiple three-pointers in 16 straight games from Nov. 28 to Jan. 25th. By comparison, Stephen Curry (in 2013) is the only NBA player in the last three years with multiple treys in 16 or more straight games, as he reached 19 games in a row. Wragge is the first Creighton player with multiple three-pointers in 16 straight games, three more than the previous mark set by Kyle Korver, who ended his career in 2003 with 13 such games.

Shooting Towards A Triple CrownNot only is Creighton leading in the nation in three-point percentage (42.0), but the Bluejays are nearly making three-pointers at a near-record clip, as well. Creighton owns 309 three-pointers through 30 games this season, an average of 10.30 per game. In the NCAA Division I history, the only team to average more than 10.7 three-pointers per game was the Troy State squad (11.11) in 1995-96. It’s worth noting that this season Iona is averaging 10.45 three-pointers per game, as well.

Jays Earn 10 Home Wins, AgainWith a win vs. Butler on Jan. 14, Creighton clinched its 10th home win this season. Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 18 straight seasons. The current streak is a school-record, six more than the previous standard of 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign with 10 or more home wins. Creighton has won 10 or more home games in 35 of the last 45 seasons.

Player of the Week, AgainDoug McDermott was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Jan. 13th, the fifth time this year he was honored. McDermott averaged 26.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists as Creighton posted wins over DePaul and Xavier McDermott was also named National Player of the Week by the USBWA, NBCSports.com and CBS Sports.

Deadly From DowntownThrough games of March 2nd, Creighton leads the nation with 42.1 percent marksmanship from deep, and is second with 10.3 three-pointers per game and third with 289 three-pointers overall. Creighton was also second in assist/turnover ratio (1.79) and assists per game (18.0), 12th in scoring margin (+13.4), eighth in field goal percentage (.495), 19th in scoring offense (80.2), 12th in free-throw percentage (.757), 11th in win percentage and 12th in fewest turnovers per game.Doug McDermott ranked first nationally in scoring average, second in field goals made, third in total points and ninth in three-point percentage.Ethan Wragge ranked second in three-point percentage, 12th in three-pointers made and eighth in three-pointers per game.Jahenns Manigat ranks third nationally with a 4.00 assist/turnover ratio, as well.

Nominated For Everything, It SeemsSenior Doug McDermott was one of 25 men named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Watch List on Jan. 22nd. This is the third straight year McDermott has been on the midseason top 25 chart. McDermott was one of 23 men named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List on Thursday, Jan. 23rd. This is the third straight year McDermott has been on the midseason top 25 list that is determined by the USBWA. McDermott is one of 10 remaining men up for the Senior CLASS Award, it was announced on February 12th. Last but not least, McDermott is one of 30 candidates for the Naismith Award, it was announced on February 13th.

Link To GreatnessCreighton’s home, CenturyLink Center Omaha, has received several rave reviews in recent weeks. ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman ranked it as the 10th best college basketball arena. ESPN’s Dick Vitale listed the facility among six on his “Bucket List”. Stadium Journey, a site that ranks arenas, named it the 18th-best venue in North America, and fourth-best among college basketball sites. Only Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas), Rupp Arena (Kentucky), FedEx Forum (Memphis) were ranked higher.

McDermott Named Player of the WeekCreighton senior Doug McDermott picked up two more awards on Jan. 6 as he was named National Player of the Week by CBSSports.com in addition to his BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week accolade. McDermott averaged 24.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in double-digit victories over Marquette and Seton Hall. This was his fourth BIG EAST Player of the Week accolade this season, and his second National Player of the Week Award (also Nov. 18 from ESPN.com). In the write-up on McDermott from CBSSports.com, Gary Parrish writes “McDermott is, quite simply, having one of the greatest college careers in modern history.”

Just Your Ordinary 30/10/5 GameDoug McDermott celebrated his first game since his 22nd birthday with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 13-point road win at Seton Hall on Jan. 4th. McDermott was Creighton’s first player with a 30 point, 10 rebound, five assist line in the same game since Benoit Benjamin had 45 points, 16 rebounds and five assists on Jan. 19, 1985 vs. Indiana State.

Scoring Early & OftenDoug McDermott has scored in double-figures before the second media timeout in 12 of Creighton’s last 22 games, and 15 of Creighton’s 30 games this season. In 30 games this year, McDermott has scored 264 points before checking out for the first time, logging a collective 263:15 of court time before hitting the bench. That gives him 1.003 points per minute to start games, good for a 40.1 points per game average if he were to maintain it over the course of 40 minutes. Looking only at the first five minutes of games this season, McDermott has scored 165 points in those 150 minutes, an average of 1.10 points per minute and a per-40 minute average of 44.00 points per game at that pace.

Playing With A LeadIn the 11 year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha, Creighton has led wire-to-wire in 48 games, including all five December home games this season, the Jan. 14 Butler game and the Jan. 28 St. John’s game. That means the Jays haven’t trailed in seven of the past 11 home contests. Creighton has trailed for just 33:30 of 640:00 minutes this season at home, and just 37:43 of its last 680:00 minutes during its 18-game home win streak. Impressively, Creighton has not trailed at any point in the second half during that home win streak, winning 16 of the 18 games by six or more points (and all but three by double-digits).

Good As GoldNot only has Creighton started games quickly this season, but the Bluejays have also done a good job maintaining those leads. The Bluejays have won 33 straight games when leading with 5:00 to play. Overall under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 96-4 when leading with 5:00 left, including victories in 58 of the last 59 scenarios. The Bluejays are also 3-0 under McDermott when tied with 5:00 to play. CU is 5-32 under McDermott when trailing with 5:00 left, with the last such rally coming on Feb. 25, 2011 at Indiana State.

Give Me FiveCreighton’s win vs. Chicago State on Dec. 29th was the Jays fifth straight this season, a streak that reached 10 after a Jan. 14 win vs. Butler. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in 16 of the last 17 seasons. Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA’s, NIT or CBI all 18 previous times they’ve had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT/CBI all seven times they haven’t.

3’s vs. 2’sCreighton has attempted 1,616 field goals this year, with nearly 40 percent of those coming from beyond the arc. Creighton has made 519-of-932 two-pointers, accounting for 1,038 points (1.11 points per shot). Creighton has made 309-of-735 three-pointers in that time, accounting for 927 points (1.26 points per shot). In its Dec. 29 win vs. Chicago State, Creighton made 16-of-25 three-point attempts, good for 1.92 points per shot attempt from deep. To earn the same point total (48 points) from 25 two-point attempts, Creighton would need to shoot 24-for-25 (96 percent). Perhaps that’s why Greg McDermott said in the postgame press conference: “If you’re going to give us an open 3-point shot, that’s the best percentage shot we can get.” Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy agreed, “We’ve watched every game they had played, and we knew this was the best shooting team in the country. If there is another team in the country that shoots the ball like these guys shoot, I would love to see that team.”

Consistency A KeyDoug McDermott has scored 20 or more points in 26 of the 30 games he’s played in this season, and 33 of his last 38 contests dating to last season. He had 19 points in two of the games where he didn’t reach 20 points. Nationally, only 27 players average 20 points per game or more, which gives you an idea of how hard it is to reach that mark on a nightly basis.

Full HouseLast year’s Creighton team ranked sixth nationally in average home attendance, averaging 17,155 fans per game. It’s the seventh straight season that CU has been among the nation’s top 25 in average home attendance, and set an MVC average home attendance record. The figure ranked ahead of 14 NBA teams (76ers, Rockets, Grizzlies, Wizards, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Suns, Bobcats, Pacers, Hawks, Bucks, Pistons, Pelicans, Kings). Creighton also ranked sixth nationally in men’s soccer attendance and 10th in baseball attendance, the nation’s only school in the top-10 of those three sports. This year’s Creighton team averaged 17,896 through 16 home dates, good for fifth-nationally, and better than 16 NBA clubs.2013-14 Attendance Leaders (3/12) Rk. School Average Next Home 1. Syracuse 26,253 -- 2. Kentucky 22,964 -- 3. Louisville 21,282 -- 4. North Carolina 18,025 -- 5. Creighton 17,896 -- 6. Indiana 17,358 TBD 7. Wisconsin 17,104 -- 8. Ohio State 16,474 -- 9. Kansas 16,437 -- 10. Memphis 16,300 3/13

McDermott In Elite CompanySince the start of his sophomore year (2011-12), Doug McDermott has averaged 24.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 101 contests. That makes him the only college player in the nation to average at least 24 points and seven rebounds per contest in that span. In same time, only NBA guys to do so are Kevin Durant (29.2 & 7.9), LeBron James (27.0 & 7.7), Carmelo Anthony (26.7 & 7.2) and Kevin Love (25.2 & 13.3).

Simply No ComparisonDoug McDermott’s stats this season of 26.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 44.7 percent marksmanship from three-point range put him in even more elite company than imagined. Since 1998-99, no college player has averaged at least 25 points, 7.0 rebounds and 43 percent or better from three-point range over the course of an entire season (min. 15 3FG’s). In NBA history, no player has ever averaged 25 points, 7.0 or more rebounds and shot 43 percent or better from three-point range (min. 15 3FG’s) for a season, either.

Speaking of 30According to available school records, Doug McDermott owns 24 of the 130 games in Creighton history with 30 points or more. That surpasses Bob Portman for most 30-point games in program history. In addition, McDermott’s 10 games this season of 30 points or more are tied for the most in school history. He also owns fifth and seventh place on that list. McDermott has scored 30 or more points in 24 career games. By comparison, all other Creighton players since 1991-92 have combined for 17 games of 30+ points in CU’s 726 games played in that period.

Experienced StartersOne reason for Creighton’s success is its veteran line-up. Creighton’s starting line-up has a combined 22 years of college experience under their belt, including 20 seasons at Creighton.Grant Gibbs is a sixth-year senior who is in his fourth year with the Bluejay program. He has started every game the past three seasons and before his recent injury was on pace to challenge CU’s record for career assists.Ethan Wragge is a fifth-year senior who medically redshirted after plantar fasciitis issues during his second year on campus. He is second in school history in three-pointers made, trailing only 11-year NBA veteran Kyle Korver. Both Jahenns Manigat and Doug McDermott are four-year seniors. McDermott has started every game of his career, while Manigat has started all but one of the last 116 games. McDermott already owns Creighton records for career points, field goals, three-point percentage and consecutive free throws made. According to Ken Pomeroy’s advanced statistics, Creighton’s line-up averages 2.46 years of experience, making the Bluejays the 12th-most veteran group nationally, and tops among the nation’s BCS schools.

Productive MinutesAccording to bbstate.com, Doug McDermott ranks first nationally this season with 31.8 points per 40 minutes played. McDermott led the same category last year with 29.3 points per 40 minutes, and was second as a sophomore at 28.7 points per 40 minutes.

Quick Starts Key To Playing in PostseasonIncluding this year, Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 13 of the last 15 seasons. Each of Creighton’s last 14 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year. This season marks the third straight year Creighton has opened 4-0, something last done from 2002-03 to 2004-05. The only other time CU started 4-0 in three straight years had come in a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.

Wragge Bombs AwayEthan Wragge has attempted 201 of his 208 shots this season from three-point range, sinking an incredible 96 of them (47.8 percent) behind the arc. He was 7-for-11 from deep in CU’s 83-79 win at Saint Joseph’s on Nov. 16, the most treys by a Bluejay in a game since Booker Woodfox had seven (also at Saint Joseph’s) in 2008, before tying Kyle Korver’s school record with nine three-pointers at No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20th. With four three-pointers vs. George Washington on Dec. 1, Wragge moved past Ryan Sears into second place in Creighton history for career trifectas. He now owns 320 career treys. He also ranks fifth in CU history with 44.0 percent marksmanship from downtown. For his career, Wragge has attempted 728-of-782 shots from beyond the arc. Wragge could become the ninth player since 1997-98 to shoot 49 percent or better from three-point range while making 90 or more trifectas.

McDermott, For The WinDoug McDermott drained his first career game-winner in a Nov. 16 victory at Saint Joseph’s. With Creighton trailing by one and 6.9 seconds left, McDermott caught an inbounds pass, hit a fadeaway jumper, and was fouled. He converted the three-point play in CU’s eventual 83-79 win. Said McDermott after the game “I didn’t know how to celebrate…I’ve never hit one before.” McDermott is 9-for-14 from the field and 20-for-26 from the line in the last minute of games in the past two seasons. Creighton had not won a game when trailing in the final minute or overtime since Feb. 21, 2012, when Josh Jones hit a game-winner to beat Evansville in the final 30 seconds of overtime. Creighton had also tied that same game as time expired on a Gregory Echenique tip-in to close regulation. Creighton last won a road game when trailing in the final minute on Jan. 7, 2011, at Southern Illinois, taking the lead for good with 36 seconds left on two Darryl Ashford free throws. Creighton also rallied to win at Butler on Jan. 20 after trailing in the final minute. Creighton last won a game away from home when trailing in the final five seconds on March 6, 2009, when Booker Woodfox hit a buzzer-beater to stun Wichita State in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals.

Big Deficits, Big DealCreighton overcame a 13-point deficit to win at Saint Joseph’s on Nov. 16 before posting an 83-79 win, then overcame another 13-point deficit to beat Xavier on Jan. 12th. It was the 10th and 11th times in four seasons under Greg McDermott that the Jays have won a game its trailed by double-figures at some point, including six such comebacks away from home. On the other hand, CU is 90-5 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 78 of the last 79 times.Double-Digit Comebacks Under G. McDermottDeficit Opponent Date17 at San Diego State 11/30/1116 at Evansville 02/16/1314 Evansville 02/21/1213 at Saint Joseph’s 11/16/1313 Xavier 01/12/1412 Saint Joseph’s 12/11/1011 at Wichita State 12/31/1111 Northern Iowa 01/10/1211 vs. Alabama 03/16/1210 UAB 11/14/1210 vs. Drake 03/02/12

@McDermottAlert Has You CoveredRather than clog up its other social media accounts with the many exploits of Doug McDermott, Creighton Athletics has created a Twitter account specific to him, that can be found at twitter.com/McDermottAlert. It contains links to dozens of national profiles and stats on the senior forward, and owns more than 2,000 followers.

Martelli On McDermottEven before Doug McDermott hit a three-point play to beat Saint Joseph’s, Hawks coach Phil Martelli was overwhelmingly complimentary on the skills of Doug McDermott. Here’s what he had to say about McDermott prior to the game: “The country is gaga over these freshmen but McDermott’s the best player in the country. Tell me who does more for their team. They can give the awards at the end of the year to the freshmen because of the media blitz, but that kid is a magnificent, magnificent player.”

Jays Sign A Pair Of RecruitsA pair of high school basketball standouts have signed letters-of-intent to play at Creighton University. Leon Gilmore III and Ronnie Harrell will both be freshmen when they enroll in the fall of 2014 and have four years of eligibility. Gilmore is a 6’7” wing from Manvel, Texas, who attends Manvel High School and plays for coach Greg Devers. As a high school junior, he helped his team to a 30-6 record by averaging 13.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Gilmore competes for the Houston Hoops AAU program. Harrell is a 6’7” wing from Denver (Colo.) East High School, where he plays for Rudy Carey. As a junior he averaged 13.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, helping the Angels reach the state title game. On the AAU circuit, Harrell plays for Billups Elite, which is supported by his cousin, NBA veteran Chauncey Billups.

20-20-20-20-20-20 VisionDoug McDermott opened his senior season with 20 points vs. Alcorn State, 37 points vs. UMKC, 20 points at Saint Joseph’s, 33 points vs. Tulsa, 27 points vs. Arizona State and 30 points vs. San Diego State. In the process, he became the first Bluejay to start a season with at least five consecutive games of 20 or more points since Bob Portman opened with five straight games in 1968-69.

Hottest Ticket in TownCreighton Basketball has proven to be a hot ticket in recent years, but the anticipation for this season has taken those levels up a notch. Creighton sold more than 15,100 season tickets for the first time, a figure that doesn’t factor in students. Last year’s record was 13,739. Creighton has also sold more than 2,200 all-session tickets for the BIG EAST Tournament already, the most by any league school since Connecticut in 2006. When single-game tickets went on sale on Oct. 29, seven games sold out within an hour, including less than 20 minutes for games vs. Marquette, Georgetown, Nebraska, Seton Hall and Chicago State.

Nation’s Best Offense?You can make a case that Creighton boasted the nation’s best offensive production last year. Creighton was second in the country in field goal percentage (50.1) and three-point percentage (41.4), third in two-point field goal percentage (55.7), ninth in free-throw percentage (75.9) and 10th in three-pointers per game (8.5). Below is where Creighton ranked nationally in the first three years of the Greg McDermott tenure (does not include 2013-14):Category Stat NCAA Rank ‘13-14FG Percentage .487 1st .4963FG Percentage .401 2nd .420Assists 1,793 4th 538Assists/Game 16.30 5th 17.93FG Made 874 6th 309Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.34 10th 1.79FG Made 2,852 13th 827Wins 80 T-16th 24Winning Pct. .727 26th .800

Ask The ExpertsESPN had 20 experts predict the 2013-14 season. Nine of them (Jay Bilas, Adrian Branch, Elena Bergeron, Dan Dakich, Jimmy Dykes, Myron Medcalf, Digger Phelps, Miles Simon and Dick Vitale) predicted Doug McDermott would be National Player of the Year. CBS Sports asked six experts to predict the 2013-14 season. Two of them (Doug Gottlieb and Jon Rothstein) picked McDermott would be National Player of the Year. Sports Illustrated had four experts predict the 2014-14 season. Two of them (Seth Davis and Luke Winn) picked McDermott would be National Player of the Year. All told, McDermott collected 13 votes, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart 10 votes, Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins three votes, Kentucky’s Julius Randle three votes and Louisville’s Russ Smith one vote.

Weekly Honor For McDermott Doug McDermott was named National Player of the Week by ESPN.com and BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 16th after averaging 25.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three Creighton wins to start the season. McDermott made 55.8 percent from the field, 53.3 percent from three-point land, and 78.6 percent of his free throw attempts. McDermott then earned his second consecutive BIG EAST Player of the Week honor on Nov. 23rd when he got the nod following a 33 point, 15 rebound showing in a 82-72 triumph vs. Tulsa. McDermott earned his third BIG EAST honor on Dec. 9 after averaging 27.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in lopsided wins over Long Beach State and Nebraska. Including his seven MVC Newcomer of the Week honors in 2010-11, 13 MVC Player of the Week honors from 2011-13, and eight BIG EAST Player of the Week accolades of 2013-14, McDermott has now won at least one conference weekly award from the MVC or BIG EAST in 28 of 66 weeks since enrolling at Creighton.

Preseason AcclaimDoug McDermott has garnered a ton of preseason hype you’d expect from a returning two-time consensus First Team All-American. In addition to being named the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, McDermott has also been named a Preseason First Team All-American by the Associated Press, USA Today, Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, CBSSports.com, NBCSports.com and Sporting News. McDermott is also one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, one of 15 men named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List, and one of 50 players on the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award.

Postseason x 16Creighton has made the postseason in 16 consecutive seasons. The only eight schools to make the postseason in each of the last 16 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.

Postseason Win StreakThanks to an NCAA Tournament win over Cincinnati last spring, the Creighton men’s basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record six straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64. The following five programs are the only ones that have won a postseason game in six straight seasons, including 2012-13: Creighton, Kansas, North Carolina, Purdue and Syracuse.

I Know What You Did Last SummerSenior forward Doug McDermott served as a captain for Team USA last summer at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia. Playing under the direction of coaches Bob McKillop (Davidson), John Beilein (Michigan) and Frank Martin (South Carolina), McDermott led the team in scoring (14.1 ppg.), field goals (39), three-pointers (18), free throws (17), free-throw percentage (.895) and minutes (23.8) as the team went 6-2 in eight games. On his way back from Russia, McDermott was invited to the USA Basketball Men’s National Team Mini-Camp along with 28 of the NBA’s rising stars and fellow collegian Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), where he received rave reviews.

Army of IowansEvery Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception. Creighton has five players from Iowa on this season’s team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State’s top preps. CU’s Iowans this season includes seniors Grant Gibbs (Marion) and Doug McDermott (Ames), junior Will Artino (Waukee), sophomore Alex Olsen (Council Bluffs) and freshman John Burns (Algona). Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City). Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 651 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.

Long-Distance Streak AliveCreighton has made at least one three-pointer in 675 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993.

CenturyLink Center Omaha SuccessCreighton has played 186 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in 11 seasons at the facility. The Bluejays own an 161-25 (.866) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (8-0). Creighton has outscored its opponents 14,057-11,887 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.67 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 48 different times, including five times last season and the Nebraska, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, California, Chicago State, Marquette, Butler and St. John’s games this year. Creighton is also 23-15 all-time in the 38 games at CLCO in which it’s fallen behind by double-figures.

Everybody’s All-AmericanDoug McDermott hauled in All-America honors on a regular basis last year. He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC, USBWA, Basketball Times, CBSSports.com and ESPN.com, and a second-team selection by The Sporting News. He was also named to the 10-man John R. Wooden Award All-America team. Prior to McDermott, the only other player honored by the USBWA with All-America status had been second-team selection Kyle Korver in 2003, and the only prior NABC selections from Creighton had been second-teamer Paul Silas (1964) and third-team selections Benoit Benjamin (1985) and Korver (2003).

Scoring In NumbersDoug McDermott owned 834 points in 36 games last year, an average of 23.2 per contest that ranked him second nationally in scoring. McDermott’s 23.2 points per game ranked fourth-most in CU single-season history and were the most since Bob Portman averaged 26.2 points per game in 1968-69. Portman, who finished fifth nationally in scoring in 1967-68 (29.5 ppg.), was the only previous Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders, before McDermott did it each of the past two seasons (3rd in 2011-12, 2nd last year).

Repeat All-AmericanDoug McDermott joined some elite company by being named a First Team All-American by the USBWA, Associated Press and the NABC for a second consecutive season last spring. He is the 70th player to repeat the honor from the USBWA, 55th from the NABC, and 51st in the history of the Associated Press. If McDermott is named First Team All-American by the AP this year, he’ll become the first three-time first team selection since Patrick Ewing and Wayman Tisdale from 1983-85.

Not Half BadDoug McDermott’s highest scoring half of his career has been 31 points, done as a sophomore in the second half at Bradley when he scored a career-best 44 points. McDermott has scored 15 points or more in a half 68 times during his career, and Creighton is 52-5 in those contests (11 times he’s scored 15 or more in both halves). McDermott owns 17 halves in his career with 20 or more points, and just six scoreless halves.

The 800 ClubCreighton’s Doug McDermott led the nation with 834 points last season after owning an MVC-high (and second-most nationally) 801 as a sophomore. McDermott, Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird are the only three players in MVC history with multiple 800-point seasons. Nationwide, McDermott was the first player with consecutive seasons of 800 points or more since Stephen Curry (Davidson) and Lester Hudson (Tennessee-Martin) in both 2007-08 and 2008-09.

What A Start!Greg McDermott is 104-36 on the Creighton sideline early in his fourth year at the helm. The 104 wins are already the most in Creighton history in the first four seasons.Most Wins at CU, First Four SeasonsCoach Years W-L After 4 YrsGreg McDermott 2010-Pres. 104-36 so farTom Apke 1974-78 79-30Eddie Sutton 1969-73 59-43Tony Barone 1985-89 57-62Red McManus 1959-63 56-46Dana Altman 1994-98 54-59Thomas E. Mills 1916-20 53-6Willis Reed 1981-85 52-65A.A. Schabinger 1922-26 50-18

Rasmussen Joins to MBB CommitteeCreighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen began a five-year term on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee on September 1st. He is the only newcomer to the committee for the 2013-14 academic year, replacing last year’s chair, Mike Bobinski.

Pizza Pie, Piled High = WinsThanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather’s Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home. History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well. The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins. Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is a perfect 79-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha. In other words, Creighton is a perfect 91-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.

Home RunSince Greg McDermott took over four years ago, Creighton is averaging 78.42 points per home game (5,568 points in 71 home games). That’s a vital number since Creighton is 105-0 at home (76-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 87-0 at home (60-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000.

Shuttle Service Provided AgainChief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men’s basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students. The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building). The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes. Following the game’s conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.

Ticket InformationSingle-game tickets for the 2013-14 season went on sale on October 29th at 10 am. Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker’s, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game. For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.